


Better Than A Dream

by IrishMyth (TaliskerMortem)



Series: The Other 'Verse [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Awkward Malfoy Family Dinners, Background Andrius Malfoy/Faye Rivers, Background Castor Malfoy/Molly Weasley, Background Draco Malfoy/Astoria Malfoy, Coming Out, First Kiss, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-07-26 13:17:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7575382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaliskerMortem/pseuds/IrishMyth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When your best friend comes out to his brother in front of you, kissing him is possibly not the most rational thing to do. But Louis was a Weasley after all and rationality was not something there were particularly known for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> This is set after [Chapter Sixteen](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1483558/chapters/3179576/) of [The Other Woman](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1483558/chapters/3130435/) and whilst you probably can read it on its own, it'll make more sense if you've read that.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

The door to the dinning room slammed open in the first indication that Pollux’ parents must have returned from picking his brothers up from King’s Cross, the sound making both Pollux and Louis startle. In the doorway stood a rather incensed Scorpius, one hand fisted in his hair as he glared daggers at his eldest brother.

“Hello?” Pollux muttered uncertainly, raising a questioning eyebrow at the new arrival.

“Are you alright, mate?” Louis frowned – it was not often he had seen Scorpius loose his cool after all.

“You’ve been sending her _letters_!” was all that came out of the younger boy’s mouth, face contorted in barely supressed fury. “You know how I feel about her and you have been sending her _letters_?” he repeated, finally lowering his hand from his hair that was now sticking up messily as he stalked towards where the two older boys were sitting. Louis just raised an eyebrow but Pollux actually stood up, a little concerned with just _how_ angry his little brother seemed to be.

“Uh… _yes_?” Pollux frowned, not entirely sure why it was apparently such a big deal. “She asked for some samples of my writing, that’s all,” he shrugged, holding out his hands in an attempt to placate Scorpius who was still stalking purposely towards him.

“Damnit Pollux! You _know_ how I feel about her!” the younger boy finally snapped, waving his arms around. “You should never have sent her _any_ letters! You should have respected me enough to stay away from her! You know how I _feel_ you bastard!” he yelled in fury, looking like he was about to grab the first thing that his hands landed on – which did not bode well seeing as nothing in this house was particularly light – and launch it at his brother.

“I swear nothing is going on between us!” Pollux sighed, now scanning the room for places to hide. “We’re just friends… Like she was friends with Castor… That never bothered you did it!”

“That was different! She was friends with Castor since her First Year… Besides, he had a thing with Molly Weasley most of the time!” Scorpius raged. “He didn’t just meet her in a fucking wood and decide that it would be a good idea to suddenly become a part of her life!” Scorpius looked ready to explode and Pollux was half afraid his brother was going to injure himself if he didn’t calm down.

“Scorpius, relax,” Louis tried to attracted Scorpius attention to no avail. “I know there is nothing going on between Rose and your brother; do you really think he would not have told me if there was?” Scorpius glanced suspiciously at Louis, still searching for something to throw at his brother.

“I don’t fucking know! All I know is that this bastard has been putting moves on my girl!” Scorpius practically screamed, giving up on his attempt to find something decent to throw and instead launching himself at his brother. Pollux stepped away just in time, deciding it was probably best not to point out that she was not, in fact, _his_ girl. Scorpius only renewed his attack however, practically chasing Pollux around the ornate dinning table.

“Scorpius-” Louis tried to stop the boy as he finally managed to grab a hold of his older brother’s robes.

“For Merlin’s sake Scorpius! I would never go after Rose because-” Pollux cut himself off, eyes widening at what he had been about to confess.

“Because _what_?” Scorpius spat. Pollux sucked in a deep breath. _Just say it,_ he though. What harm could it really do?

“Because I’m _gay_ , okay,” he snapped. Scorpius froze as Pollux’ words registered in his mind and it was easy for the older Malfoy to shove him off. Pollux steadied himself before turning around to his best friend. Louis was staring at him as if he had never seen him before and it terrified him to the core. He really hoped this was all worth jeopardising his friendship with Louis because if it wasn’t there was going to be hell to pay.

And then Louis was moving. Not towards the door as Pollux had expected him to… but straight towards him. If he was going to be attacked for a second time in one day then so help him Merlin he was going to lose it. Louis did not break his friend’s gaze as he walked straight towards him, as he reached out and grabbed the back of his neck, as he pulled him forward… only when he crushed their lips together did he close his eyes.

Of the three men in the room, it was hard to determine who was the most shocked. Scorpius was still reeling from his brother’s confession. Pollux’ mind had ceased to function the moment Louis’ lips had connected to his and he could do nothing more than hold onto his friend’s robes to keep himself standing. Louis on the other hand was just trying to figure out what the hell had possessed him to kiss his best friend. He wasn’t gay was he? He had given it very little thought before. He had always assumed that he had just never found the right woman but… Oh Merlin, what if Pollux had only said he was gay to get Scorpius off his back. Oh if he fucked up his friendship with Pollux because of this he was going to kick himself. What was he _doing_?

Suddenly, Pollux escaped his shock enough to bring his hands to Louis neck and cup his face, pulling him closer and entwining his long fingers in Louis shoulder length hair. All reasonable thought had fled his mind. He briefly wondered if Louis was only doing this to help him prove a point to Scorpius but by the time the thought processed, he didn’t really care. Louis’ lips felt so soft, so perfect. _Sweet Merlin_ this was better than a dream.

Louis found himself sinking into Pollux. Being several inches shorter than his friend, he had to tilt his head up to reach Pollux’ lips but dear God was it worth it. He could not remember feeling more turned on in his life and just from a simple kiss. His heart was hammering in his chest and suddenly things were making sense… The way he would always choose Pollux over his girlfriends; the way even when his girlfriends were sitting on his lap, trying to lure him in for a kiss, he would always be more interested in what Pollux was saying; the peculiar ache he felt every time he had to say goodbye to Pollux at the end of term or when leaving after a visit; the tightening in his chest every time Pollux smiled at him… Oh he had it _bad_.

Suddenly Pollux pulled away and Louis opened his eyes, his expression immediately fearful. Pollux had said he was gay – he didn’t even know if that was even the case or just an excuse to get Scorpius off his back but even so – he had never said he fancied _him_.

“Scorpius,” the older Malfoy said calmly, his eyes never leaving Louis’. Scorpius didn’t need to be told twice as he scampered from the room, still reeling from shock and barely even remembering what had caused the whole thing to come about. Once he had gone, Pollux ran his thumb over Louis’ cheek bone. “Louis,” he murmured and his voice was so husky with lust that Louis whimpered at the sound.

“Lux,” he gasped, grabbing for the other boy’s collar to steady himself. Pollux lowered his face to Louis’ so their foreheads and noses were touching.

“Louis, why did you do that?” he demanded.

“I… I don’t know… I just… Dammit Lux! I just… I want you. I want you Pollux Malfoy and it is scaring me shitless,” he breathed out quietly, still gripping Pollux’ robes.

“So you didn’t just do that to help me prove my point to Scorpius?”

“No… I just did it… I didn’t think, I’m sorry…”

“Why are you sorry?”

“I don’t know Lux! You probably just said that to get Scorpius off your back or something, besides, even if you were gay it wouldn’t mean you fancied me! I’m sorry because I shouldn’t have done that, I shouldn’t have just presumed, I shouldn’t-” but Louis was cut off as Pollux crushed their lips together again and Louis’ mind went blank. All too soon, Pollux pulled away again.

“Don’t ever apologise for that again, do you understand? I would never just say something like that to get rid of Scorpius and as for fancying you… You’ve tormented my dreams for years Lou. I want you and only you. I have done for as long as I can remember.” Pollux’ eyes were dark with desire and Louis was losing the ability to stand with every word Pollux uttered.

“Lux… please,” he begged. Pollux smiled before lowered his lips ever so slowly back down to Louis’. The shorter man thought he might pass out from want, his limb had turned to jelly and if Pollux had not been supporting him, he would have fallen to the floor. Pollux kept the kiss light, barely touching Louis’ lips and pulling back slightly whenever Louis tried to pull him in. The feather light touches were making Louis dizzy with desire. “Lux,” he growled as Pollux pulled away again.

“Relax Louis,” he murmured, his own heart hammering in his chest and his mind not entirely convinced this was actually happening and was not just a painfully vivid dream. “I just think we should take a walk, clear your head…” Pollux suggested, a suggestion Louis was not altogether fond of. “Besides, we can’t… not here…” he gestured to the dining room in which they were standing. Louis nodded and allowed Pollux to step away from him and open the door Scorpius had slammed behind him.

Without a word, the two of them slipped from the room; Pollux’ eyes darted to every crevice to see if there was anyone about while Louis could look nowhere but at him. Louis’ mind was reeling, now that he was no longer touching his friend, his brain could function once again. He had just kissed Pollux Malfoy, his best friend since the age of eleven. A few minutes ago he had had no idea that _he_ was even gay. But somehow it all just seemed to fit. Somehow, it just made sense.

The route they took was familiar to them both but this time as every turn and every corridor and every step took them closer to their destination, their hearts beat harder in the chests. When at last Pollux opened the door to his suit to allow Louis through, both had sweaty hands and were breathing faster than usual. Louis strode in confidently, hiding the uncertainties he was harbouring inside, and stood in the middle of the room, looking about absentmindedly. Pollux on the other hand just stepped through the door, closed it behind him and leaned against it.

“So…” Louis began but Pollux swiftly cut him off.

“Louis, you need to think about this. I’ve known for a while how I feel and who I am but you haven’t and I don’t want you to rush into anything you might regret. I will not risk sacrificing our friendship for this unless I am absolutely sure that it is what we both want. Completely. I will tell you plainly that there is no one else in the world I can see myself being with other than you but I do not expect you to feel the same way. I know I should have told you sooner but-”

“How long?” Louis interrupted.

“How long what?”

“How long have you known?”

“Have I known I was gay or how I felt about you?”

“Both.”

“I couldn’t put an exact date on it Louis. A part of my always knew I wanted you but it wasn’t until the end of Fourth Year that I realised what I felt for you was not strictly platonic. That’s when I realised that I was gay. As I said before: it has only ever been you,” Pollux sighed, his hand still on the doorknob.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Louis frowned.

“ _Tell you_?” his friend’s eyes went wide. “Louis we were fifteen! I could barely admit it to myself, let alone to anyone else. Besides, you were my best friend and it didn’t matter to me that you didn’t feel the same way as me so long as I could always be near you. I did not want to lose you Louis; I couldn’t have coped if I had.”

“But what about after that, what about the past few years….?” Louis demanded. “You could have at least told me you were _gay_ , you didn’t have to tell me how you felt about _me_.”

“I was afraid,” Pollux replied bluntly. “I come from a very traditional family Louis, you should know that. I have no idea how they’ll react and there didn’t seem to be any point in going through the hassle when I would have gotten nothing out of it because the only person I wanted appeared to be exceptionally straight.”

“So why did you tell your brother today?”

“Because he has a nasty left hook,” Pollux muttered.

“Don’t be ridiculous, you would have gladly taken his swings if you really wanted to protect your secret. I don’t see why today was any different to the last few years so why did you choose today? Why did you tell him?” Louis asked, his grey eyes alight. Pollux just shrugged, not really having a valid answer. Why _had_ he chosen today to tell his brother his best kept secret? Louis was right, he could have taken Scorpius’ punches.

“I suppose I just got tired of pretending I was something I am not,” he sighed at last. “I don’t know Louis.”

“Lux,” Louis sighed, stepping closer to his friend. “Promise me something?”

“Depends on what that something is Louis,” Pollux tried to smile but there was a weight on his chest that could not be shifted. He had finally told Louis everything (well sort of) and now he just had to wait for the consequences to pan out.

“Promise me you will never keep anything like this a secret from me again,” Louis murmured. He was barely half a meter away from Pollux now and had reached up to cup his chin and force their eyes to meet. “Promise me you will tell me everything, even the trivial things,” he murmured again. “Because I know what I want. I am a Slytherin after all, I would never rush into something irrational,” he smirked and Pollux smiled slightly. “I want _you_ Pollux.”

“You don’t know that Louis,” Pollux sighed. “You’ve barely realised that men might also be your type, you haven’t even _looked_ at other possibilities,” he reasoned.

“Why would I look at other possibilities when I have all that I will ever need in the one person that is standing in front of me right now?” Louis murmured, running his thumb over Pollux’ jawline.

“Louis, you are far too calm for someone who has just realised that their entire life is not what they thought. You’ve just realised you might be gay, or bi, or whatever. The repercussions are endless; you need to just think about it for a while. You have to have time to really freak out and then allow yourself to process and accept it. You can’t just be okay with it, just like that,” Pollux sighed again, hating that the simple stoke of Louis’ thumb on his jaw was making him weak with lust.

“Is that really what you want? You want me to go away and think about it?” Louis frowned, forcing Pollux to look him in the eye.

_No_ , Pollux thought to himself, _I want to throw you onto my bed and ravish you for the rest of my life_. Aloud though, he only said: “Yes.”


	2. II

Louis pushed open the door of Shell Cottage, aware of a certain lack of _noise_. The kitchen was empty, the only movement that of the spoon stirring his mother’s infamous stew on the stove. He called out softly to see if anyone was still awake and was greeted by a murmur from the living room. Following the sound, he found his sister reclining on the chaise longue by the glass double doors that let in the night sea breeze.

“What are you smiling about?” teased Dominique as her brother stepped into the room.

“Nothing,” he lied, blushing slightly.

“What have you been up to?” she enquired, reading his blush with ease.

“Just at the Hall with Lux,” he tried to act nonchalant but could sense the growing colour in his cheeks undermining his otherwise fairly good act. Besides, that wasn’t what she meant, she knew where he’d been. Dominique raised an eyebrow and he grew even redder.

“Louis William Weasley…” she sighed, putting down her book and standing up. “Explain to your favourite sister what exactly that blush on your face is all about.”

“It’s nothing Dominique,” he sighed, attempting to back out the room.

“He finally told you, didn’t he?” she asked, a grin breaking across her delicate features. Louis froze and turned back to his sister.

“Told me what?” he asked suspiciously.

“Oh come on Louis,” she sighed exasperatedly. “I’ve known how Pollux has felt about you for ages… It’s been agonising watching you blunder on so blindly while he was pinning after you.”

“You _knew_ ,” his eyes widened as he stared at his sister.

“Of course I knew Louis,” she fluttered her hands slightly as if he was being thick. “It was written all over his face every time he looked at you, I’m amazed it took you so long to realise it.”

“Why didn’t you _say_ something?” he asked incredulously.

“Because it wasn’t my place,” she shrugged. “Now tell me everything… What did he say? How did he do it? Did he kiss you? What did you say to him? I guess by your smile it ended well…?” she probed. Louis could not recall the last time he had seen Dominique so animated and with a sigh he decided to throw caution to the wind and just tell her everything.

“Sit down, you’re making me nervous,” he snapped, slinging himself into one of the chairs as she perched on the sofa excitedly. “I can’t believe I didn’t realise before,” he muttered, making her snort in agreement.

“Did he kiss you?” she repeated, clearly more interested in the juicy details.

“Actually… I kissed him,” Louis blushed.

“ _What_?” Dominique gasped.

“He just blurted out to Scorpius that he was gay and then he looked at me and… I don’t know what came over me Dominique but the next thing I knew I was striding across the room and _kissing him_ ,” he shrugged, staring out the window at the starry sky. His sister’s eyes widened, that had not been what she was expecting. “For a moment nothing happened and then he was kissing me back and I swear to Circe I almost melted into the ground.”

“What the hell are you doing back here then?” she couldn’t help but interrupt.

“He told me to go home and think about it,” Louis shrugged. “Apparently I was too calm about the whole thing, he probably thought I was in shock or-” Suddenly panic flooded through Louis and he practically jumped to his feet and started pacing. “Merlin, what if that was just him trying to be polite… Maybe he doesn’t actually like me at all and he didn’t want to be rude… That was just his way of getting rid of me… Oh shit, I’m such an idiot-”

“Shut up Louis,” Dominique snapped. “Pollux Malfoy has been crazy about you for over four years, today you probably just made all his dreams come true and he is too afraid to believe it… He doesn’t want to get his hopes up only to have you crush them,” she explained. “You’re a complete idiot if you think he was trying to get _rid_ of you,” she sighed. “He is just trying to make sure you have time to think it through so that if you’re sure, he can keep you forever and never have to worry about you changing your mind,” she finished with a wave of her hands. Louis stared at her uncertainly.

“Are you sure?” he muttered.

“Of course I am sure Louis,” she snapped again and he sunk back into his armchair in relief.

“He’s worried that I want to check out other guys now that I’ve figured out that I might be into guys as well but it has nothing to do with that… To me it is completely irrelevant that he’s a guy, it’s like those stories they always tell us at family gatherings about the first time Ginny kissed Harry or Hermione kissed Ron… When you know, you just _know_ … It doesn’t matter whether they are your brother’s best friend, or one of your best friends, or in this case if they’re male… When you know, that’s just it. It just makes sense. I don’t need to look at other guys in the same way I wouldn’t have needed to look at other girls if he had been a girl. It’s not their gender that matters it’s the fact they aren’t _him_ so I couldn’t possibly want them,” Louis rambled, talking more to himself than to his sister, who was staring with her mouth slightly open at her younger brother.

“So you like him?” she finally managed after he had fallen silent. He just gave her a look.

“Like him?” he raised an eyebrow. “Dominique, I _love_ him. Always have, always will… I just didn’t realised that what I felt was more than just friendship but either way, I loved him as a friend and I will love him as whatever we become.”

“You’re sure about this?”

“Dominique,” he sighed, looking her straight in the eye. “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my entire life.”

The next thing Louis knew was that his sister had thrown herself across the room at him and was hugging him tightly to her chest, kissing his cheek repeatedly. “Oh I’m so happy for you,” she smiled at last, pulling away with one last kiss on his forehead. “But what on earth are you still doing here? Shouldn’t you be telling him everything you’ve just told me?” she frowned.

“I think I will give him a few days, let him panic for a bit,” he smirked mischievously. “Besides, I know Lux, he won’t take me seriously until he thinks I have actually thought about it. It doesn’t matter to him that I left his house already knowing I would be back. He needs to think that I have given it logical thought or he won’t let himself believe me,” Louis shrugged, trying not to think about the prospect of not seeing Pollux for several days.

“Slytherins,” Dominique rolled her eyes at her brother before sauntering out of the room to leave him to his thoughts. Because Pollux was right in a way, Louis did have a lot to think about.


	3. III

Louis whistled tunefully to himself as he strode up the wide drive leading to the Malfoy residence. He had been told that Willowbank Hall was much smaller to the infamous Malfoy Manor where Pollux’ grandparents lived but he wasn’t sure how that could possibly be true as the Hall was a vast combination of corridors and rooms and suits that he himself could only just navigate around and he had been going there since he was twelve.

He had judged that three days should have eased his friend’s worries and he was prepared to fight tooth and nail if it was not because he had had quite enough of waiting. A part of him new that Pollux had been right on some level but he had left the Hall that day knowing full well that he would be returning shortly. There was nowhere he would rather be.

When at last he had reached the looming double doors at the entrance to the Hall, his hand had barely been raised to knock before the door was being swung inward and a flustered looking Scorpius appeared before him.

“Oh thank Merlin you’re here, I have no idea what you did to Pollux but he’s been a mess since you left,” Scorpius breathed, practically pulling Louis into the house. Louis caught him eyeing the large bouquet of flowers he was carrying and gave a small chuckle.

“These are for you mother,” he smiled and Scorpius breathed out in relief, not quite sure he would have been able to cope if they had been for his brother. “Perhaps you would take them to her while I go and find Pollux,” he suggested.

“Of course, he’s probably by the lake,” Scorpius added, taking the flowers and biding Louis good day, trying to keep his thoughts far away from what was going on between his brother and his brother’s best friend. He had known Louis since the year before starting Hogwarts when he had come to stay for a week during the summer and had always liked him but he was still having trouble getting his head around the idea that Louis was anything more than Pollux’ best friend. It wasn’t that he had a problem with it, it was just _new_.

The grounds at Willowbank Hall were magnificent at this time of year and Louis was ambushed by an array of scents and colours as he wandered down towards the lake. He spotted his friend almost at once, leaning against a tree on the cusp of the wood just before it meets the lake. Dappled sunlight was playing with his hair as he fidgeted with a long blade of grass he had absentmindedly plucked on his walk down. Louis could not recall a more beautiful sight.

“You seem nervous,” Louis murmured as he leant against the old oak that dominated the grounds several meters away from Pollux. Pollux’ head shot upwards at the sound of his voice and his eyes fixed on him, unblinking. Neither of them spoke for what seemed like an eternity before Louis could bare it no longer. “Scorpius said you would be down here,” he stated, just for something to say but then he smirked, recalling the younger boy’s other observation. “He also said you’ve been a pain in the ass these last few days.” Pollux scowled.

“No he didn’t,” he muttered.

“Well, he said you’ve been a mess and I figured that equated to the same thing,” Louis mused, running a hand through his hair in a manner Pollux thought was entirely unnecessary. “I must say, I’ve had a very boring three days,” he continued when it was clear Pollux wasn’t going to say anything. “I only freaked out once and that was thinking you had only told me I needed time to think as a polite way of getting rid of me,” he rambled. “Of course, Dominique told me not to be ridiculous-”

“You told Dominique?” Pollux asked incredulously.

“She could tell the second I stepped through the door, sometimes I wonder if she is really related to Luna the way she can read people,” Louis shrugged nonchalantly, as if the fact that his sister knew his secret was no big deal… Which to him, it wasn’t.

“Did you… Does anyone else…?” Pollux mumbled.

“Did I tell anyone else? Nope… Thought it would be best to talk to you first because for all I know you have no real interest in me and were just using me for a good snog,” Louis shrugged again, perfectly aware he was baiting his best friend.

Pollux just stared at him as if he had grown two heads but remained leaning against his tree, out of Louis’ reach. “Just using you for a good _snog_ …” Pollux repeated. “Are you _insane_?”

“I just couldn’t tell Lux,” he shrugged, trying to keep the smirk from his face. “Sometimes people say things they think other people want to here, doesn’t always mean it’s true,” he mused, enjoying the struggle and disbelief dance across his best friends face.

“Louis… You know you are the _only_ person in the world who can tell when I am lying, don’t you,” Pollux stated. “You know perfectly well that I meant every word.”

“Well then explain something to me,” this time Louis couldn’t stop the smirk. Pollux looked at him, waiting for him to continue. “Explain to me why on earth you are all the way over _there_ ,” he gestured in Pollux’ general direction, “and I am all the way over _here_ ,” he finished, pointing to himself.

Pollux stared at Louis for several minutes, trying to comprehend how this was actually happening, perhaps he was going insane, perhaps this was a dream… But if it were a dream, Louis would not have that infuriating smirk on his face. Slowly, Pollux pushed away from the tree and began to walk over to Louis.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re an idiot?” he asked with a smirk of his own.

“Only you,” Louis grinned back. “Everyone else thinks I am a genius.”

"Well everyone else is wrong," Pollux grinned, finally coming to a stop in front of his friend. "Louis, I..." he reached tentatively forward with his left hand but hesitated. Louis immediately caught on to what he had been about to do and reached his own hand out to grasp Pollux' long fingers. Pollux looked down at their joined hands and a smile spread across his face as he interlaced his fingers more firmly with Louis'. "Scorpius wasn't lying," he mumbled. "I have been a mess."

"Don't worry so have I, ask Dominique, she’s staying a few extra days just to make sure I don't do anything stupid and she hates England," Louis chuckled. There was a faint blush in his cheeks that had arisen from the intimacy of their entwined hands and whenever Pollux smiled at him, he was afraid his heart might burst. Pollux himself still wasn't quite certain this wasn't a dream.

"I missed you," Pollux murmured, blushing at his own confession. "And it was only three days... I swear they were the worst three days of my life though," he snorted.

"Even worse than when we had to put up with Victoire and Teddy for the week after they got together?" Louis squirmed at the memory.

"Different kind of 'worse'," Pollux murmured, more distracted by the distance Louis' face was from his has he stepped closer to him, almost touching, and trapping him between his body and the tree.

"Do you ever think we'll be like that?" Louis whispered, the thought both daunting and oddly alluring.

"Like what?" Pollux asked to humour him.

"Like Ted and Victoire – so public about our feelings," he elaborated.

"I doubt it," Pollux' mouth was barely a breath away from the hollow behind Louis' ear. Louis heart sunk a little and almost as if Pollux had read his mind he continued: “We’re naturally more reserved," he murmured. "But I have no intention of hiding how I feel, I've been doing that for far too long Louis..." He pulled away so that he could look Louis in the eye. "Now I want the world to know I'm yours," he confessed in a whisper. "And that you," he smirked, "are _mine_."

"Completely," Louis agreed breathlessly, moments before Pollux' lips captured his in a kiss. Blinding happiness washed over them both as they lost themselves in each other, nothing else existed-

“ _Mother_ , he’s not down there!” a slightly fluster voice yelled out louder than was strictly necessary from further up the path. Louis pulled his lips from Pollux’ and smiled at him.

“I think Scorpius is trying to warn us that we may have company in a few seconds,” he smirked. “And I know you are prepared to tell your family about this but I somehow don’t think your mother catching us like this is the best way to go about it,” he smiled, squeezing Pollux’ hand slightly before letting go. Pollux sighed and rested his forehead against Louis’ for a moment, knowing his friend was right but being reluctant to let him go, before stepping away from him and composing his features. A fraction of a second later, Astoria Malfoy came gliding down the path.

“Oh Louis, there you are,” she smiled sweetly. “I told you Scorpius!” she yelled over her shoulder before turning back to Louis. “Those flowers are beautiful darling, you didn’t have to do that,” she pecked him lightly on the cheek.

“Not at all Mrs Malfoy,” he returned elegantly, no trace in his voice that he had just been locked in her son’s embrace. “Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman,” he charmed, bending down to plant a kiss on her knuckles.

“Nonsense,” she waved away the complement. “I see you’ve come to alleviate my son’s foul mood,” she nodded to Pollux who was now leaning against the tree, smiling at the exchange. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him but I'm sure you can fix it,” she smiled. At that moment, Scorpius appeared behind her with a raised eyebrow and the faintest of smirks on his face. “He looks better already.” Louis shot Scorpius a warning look as the younger boy covered up his snort with a cough. “You must stay for dinner,” Mrs Malfoy ordered. “I simply can’t stand another night of Pollux moping around and making everyone else miserable.”

Louis glanced at Pollux who nodded subtly. “That would be my pleasure Mrs Malfoy,” he grinned then flashed Scorpius a wink, making him pale slightly.

“Well dinner will be severed at seven as usual and Pollux if you so much as _think_ about coming into the dining room without a smile on your face, I shall hex you into next week, is that understood?” she demanded of her eldest (if only by a few minutes) son.

“Yes mother,” he smirked, still leaning against the old oak and looking more attractive than Louis thought he had a right to be. “Nothing but a smile.”

“Well and your robes please, we wouldn’t want you giving your father a heart attack,” she retorted. With the perceptiveness only a mother has, Mrs Malfoy detected a faint blush rise in her son’s cheeks and as she turned to Louis, she spotted a matching blush in his. She could not help but think that this would certainly make the meal a vast deal more interesting.

Giving them a secretive smile, Mrs Malfoy nodded and began to walk back up the path to the Hall. Scorpius gave Pollux a look.

“Don’t worry little brother,” Pollux smirked. “We’ll keep it in our pants… While there are other people around at least,” he added as an afterthought, his eyes glazing over. Scorpius looked horrified and quickly marched down the path after his mother. Once he had gone, Pollux turned to Louis to find him full on blushing now.

“It is times like this that I remember you are a Weasley,” Pollux mused.

“You basically just told your _brother_ we were going to have _sex_!” Louis hissed accusingly.

“Relax Louis,” Pollux chuckled. “It was the fastest way to get rid of him. Now come over here, you are too far away,” he ordered, pointing to the ground right by his feet. Louis glowered at him before sighing and walking back to the oak. As soon as he was in reach, Pollux reached out to grab his hands, swinging them gently. “You’re so adorable when you’re flustered,” he teased.

“I should be weirded-out by you saying that, shouldn’t I?” Louis murmured as Pollux pulled him closer. Pollux nibbled his ear.

“Oh I’ve had much worst thoughts in my head for years now Louis Weasley,” Pollux whispered, his teeth grazing the shell of Louis’ ear. Louis blushed again and Pollux pushed him away so that he could look at him. “You will tell me to stop if it becomes too weird for you, won’t you,” he asked beseechingly. “The last thing I want to do is scare you away.”

“Don’t be silly,” Louis grinned, pecking him on the lips. “You… could… never… weird… me… out,” he assured, planting a teasing kiss on Pollux’ lips between every word. “But I promise on the condition that you do the same?”

“Sounds fair enough, although I can’t imagine you ever doing anything weird enough to freak _me_ out,” Pollux chuckled.

“Want to bet,” Louis smirked. Pollux just raised an eyebrow, giving Louis consent to try. Grinning, Louis reached out but instead of grabbing Pollux like he expected, Louis found the weak spots in his sides and began tickling him relentlessly.

“Lou,” Pollux gasped. “Lou, _stop it_!” he implored as a choked laugh escaped him. “Dammit,” he muttered, reaching his own hands out to tickle Louis. The shorter man jerked so wildly, he caused them both to topple to the ground at the foot of the oak.

“Shit, shit,” Louis cursed, giggling. “Lux, don’t,” he gasped but to no avail, having the upper hand now, Pollux was not backing down and it was several minutes before either of them were able to catch their breath back.

Louis lay on his back, looking up at the dappled leaves while Pollux lay beside him, staring intently at his face. One hand was propping his head up while the other was resting on Louis’ chest, playing with the buttons on his shirt. Louis turned his head and smiled at him, making Pollux afraid his heart was going burst into a million little pieces.

“I had no idea you were so ticklish,” Louis teased.

“I could say the same about you,” smiled Pollux. “Although I am beginning to suspect it was all just a grand scheme to get my robes dirty,” he smirked. Louis just shrugged and brought a hand up to his face to run his thumb over his jawline once again. “Louis, I…” Pollux began, looking away and sitting up. Louis immediately followed suit, reaching a hand out to his friends back.

“What is it?” he demanded, worry written across his face.

“I should have told you before but I didn’t want to freak you out any more,” Pollux sighed, crossing his arms over his knees and resting his head on them.

“Well tell me now,” Louis insisted.

“Louis… Four years is a long time for just a crush,” Pollux muttered. Louis reached around and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look up at him. “I… Louis, it’s not a crush anymore,” he frowned.

“Just say it Lux,” Louis urged softly, moving around so he was kneeling before him.

“Louis, I’m in love with you,” he stated clearly, fixing Louis with his gaze to ensure he would detect any flicker of unease. For several agonising moments, Louis didn’t move but eventually he let out a loud sigh of relief.

“Bloody hell Lux, I thought you were going to say you didn’t fancy me at all anymore,” he rolled his eyes. “Why the hell did you think I would freak out about _that_?” he frowned.

“I don’t know Lou,” Pollux sighed in frustrated. “I just feel like we’re doing this all wrong, like we’re going too fast… I feel like I should at least take you on a date before telling you this sort of thing…” When Louis didn’t say anything, Pollux looked up, surprised to find Louis smiling down at him with his eyebrows raise as if to suggest Pollux was being thick. “ _What_?”

“Lux, dates are for people who don’t know each other…” Louis began. “They’re to help people find out about the other person. You already know me better than I know myself, we don’t _need_ to go on a date,” Louis explained.

“But-”

“Everyone has their own pace of doing things and we’ve had over seven years of getting to know each other so it is natural for us to now do things faster than a couple who have only just met,” he continued. “And right now I want to tell you I love you too but I know you won’t believe me-” Pollux snorted in confirmation, “-so I’m just going to wait until you can have absolutely no doubt.”

“You’re insane,” Pollux mumbled, turning his face into Louis’ outstretched arm.

“One of the reasons you love me,” Louis bit his lips to stop himself grinning as Pollux looked up to glare at him before returning his face to the crook of his arm. “And right now I want to snog your pretty little face off and I can’t do that while its buried in my elbow,” he teased, tugging on his arm to free it from Pollux’ hold. Pollux grumbled in protest, reaching forward to grab Louis and roll them onto the ground so that he could wrap himself around the smaller boy. Louis chuckled.

“You know my parents are going to Italy to see my mum’s family next week and Scorpius and Andrius are going back to Hogwarts… Would you like to stay for a few days?” Pollux asked, lazily playing with seem of Louis’ shirt.

“What about Castor?” Louis murmured.

“He’s hardly ever around, I think he and James are thinking of buying a flat together,” the other boy sighed, contentedly.

“Sounds wonderful,” Louis smiled. Running his fingers through Pollux’ hair absentmindedly, he could not help but think that lying there in the in the dappled sunlight with Pollux’ head on his chest and his arm slung over his waist was possibly the most perfect place Louis had ever been in his entire life and Pollux was far from disagreeing with him.


	4. Chapter 4

The atmosphere in the Malfoy dining room that night was nothing short of awkward. Oddly enough, Pollux and Louis were not the cause, although they were certainly a contributing factor. Barely anyone spoke as the starters were laid before them by a silent House Elf. Mr and Mrs Malfoy were sitting at opposite ends of the long table, the former sending desperate looks at his wife to defuse the tension while the latter appeared fascinated by her long stemmed wine glass. Pollux’ younger brothers were seated opposite each other at Mr Malfoy’s end of the table, clearly not quite on speaking terms yet. Beside Andrius, the youngest boy, was a timid blonde girl who looked desperately like she wanted to vanish into the floor as she stared fixedly at her plate, hating the tension all the more because _she_ was the main cause.

Pollux was on Scorpius’ left and Louis beside him, shooting secretive glances whenever they thought no one was looking – which for the most part, they weren’t. The seat across from Louis was glaringly empty as they began inspecting their starters. A loud bang followed by a series of giggles altered them to the arrival of the missing person.

“Hello mother,” Castor Malfoy swooped in and kissed his mother on the cheek. Mrs Malfoy breathed a sigh of relief at the arrival of her last son and bade him sit down. “Sorry we’re late, you don’t mind that I brought Molly, do you?” Castor asked, indicating to the red head girl behind him.

“Of course not, Molly is always welcome here,” Mrs Malfoy beamed as she greeted Molly, thankful that the pair would easily defuse the awkward atmosphere. “Who’d have thought I would be entertaining two Weasleys in one night,” Mrs Malfoy smiled as Louis winked at his cousin. Down at the other end of the table, Scorpius managed to crack his wine glass.

“You must be Faye,” Molly said suddenly, turning to the blonde that she had seated herself next to while the House Elf flustered around her to set up another place for Castor. “You might not remember me, I was a Hufflepuff Prefect last year,” she added. The girl looked up at Molly like she was her saviour and the two quickly fell into a conversation about an assortment of Hufflepuff related topics. Castor watched Molly with a dreamy look in his eyes and a grin permanently etched on his face.

“Let me know if I ever get that dopey look, won’t you,” Pollux whispered, much closer than Louis had expected him to be and still not quite as close as he would have liked.

“Only after everyone has seen it,” he murmured back, pretending to be enthralled by his food. Pollux chuckled and sipped his wine.

“So Dri,” Pollux said, fixing his gaze on the youngest Malfoy boy. “Have you decided what you are taking for NEWTs yet?” At the head of the table, Mr Malfoy let out a relieved sigh as the conversation picked up around him; he smiled at his wife before engaging Scorpius in a discussion about wandlore.

As the wine flowed, voices rose until Castor and Molly’s laughter could probably have been heard from the other side of the Hall. Faye came out of her shell at Molly’s encouragement and chatted for a while with Mrs Malfoy before turning her attention to Andrius which as far as anyone seated at the table was concerned, was a very good sign indeed. The more courses they got through, the closer Pollux’ chair seemed to be getting to Louis. The two of them ended up quietly discussing trivial things in hushed tones, their heads bowed together secretively. When other people pulled them into conversations, Pollux hand remained casually slung over the back of Louis’ chair. Mrs Malfoy watched them out of the corner of her eye, overwhelmed to see her son look happier than she could ever recall seeing him but having that ever present worry of what her husband was going to do when he found out.

Louis felt something nudge against his leg and with a jolt of pleasure, he realised it was Pollux’ knee. He glanced up at his friend who indicated across the table at Molly and Castor who were all but sitting on each other’s laps. Louis glanced over at them but was still more interested in the pressure that remained on his leg and found himself reaching under the table to rest a hand on Pollux’ thigh discretely. Pollux grinned at him before turning his attention back to his twin.

“When are you two getting married then,” he teased, winking at Molly who blushed the same shade of red Louis had been earlier after Pollux’ comment about keeping it in their pants. Castor snorted and swallowed another mouthful of wine before speaking.

“Shut up Lux,” he grinned. “Besides, it looks like you two have finally stopped pretending to be _just friends_ so perhaps we should be asking _you_ that,” he gestured between Louis and Pollux with a wicked smirk, reminding everyone that even though he was a Gryffindor, he was still a Malfoy. As his words registered in everyone’s brains, a hush fell over the table.

Louis and Pollux froze in their seats, both wondering how best to move themselves away from the other without making it obvious that they were so close to begin with. Close enough to be touching. To an outsider, the expressions around the table were comical. The two accused boys looked like deer caught in the headlights; Castor was still grinning but is was slowly registering in his mind that perhaps he ought not to have said that out loud; Scorpius was staring intently into his new glass pretending no one else existed while Andrius was staring from one twin to the other in confusion. Molly’s eyebrows had disappeared into her fringe as she blinked at Castor and Faye was looking completely confused. Mrs Malfoy’s face was expressionless as she tried to gauge her husband’s reaction but Mr Malfoy was altogether too good at hiding his emotions.

“Oh come on,” Castor sighed at last. “Don’t tell me no one knew?” Mrs Malfoy shot him a disapproving look as Andrius looked frantically around the table for someone to explain to him what was going on. It was another minute before anyone spoke again, and when they did, Louis was surprised to hear Pollux’ voice.

“What I want to know…” he frowned at his twin. “Is how _you_ knew.”

“How did _I_ know? Seriously?” Castor looked genuinely surprised. “Pollux I’ve _always_ known,” he stated, glancing around the table to see if everyone was just having him on. “Did everyone else seriously not know?” he asked sceptically. “Mum?”

Mrs Malfoy flushed slightly, something so rare it caused her husband to raise an eyebrow at her. “Well… I… I mean, I had _guessed_ ,” she stuttered.

“Guessed _what_?” Andrius finally snapped.

“That I am in love with your brother,” Louis quipped without really thinking. Every single set of eyebrows save for Scorpius and Pollux’ shot upwards in surprise. Louis turned sheepishly to Pollux who glowered at him. Andrius’ mouth actually fell open he was so stunned and Faye had to nudge him in the ribs to get him to close it. _I hate you_ , Pollux mouthed to Louis who just grinned back at him.

“Well I can’t say I didn’t see that one coming,” Mr Malfoy finally sighed from the head of the table. “You always were a little too into The Crystal Balls as a child,” he commented to the contents of his glass. This time it was Louis’ turn to raise his eyebrow as Pollux turned bright red at the mention of the notoriously attractive male wizard rock band that Louis’ sisters had been obsessed with when they were younger.

“He had posters of them and everything,” muttered the unmistakably taunting voice of Scorpius Malfoy. Pollux shot him a death glare, the colour still rising in his cheeks.

“It was the only thing he would fall asleep to until he was about eight,” Mrs Malfoy added with a twinkle in her eye. Pollux stared at her in horror. _Even his mother was against him_. “I had to learn his favourite song to sing it to him as a lullaby.”

“ _Mum_ ,” Pollux gasped in humiliation. Across the table, Faye let out a small giggle which she quickly disguised as a cough but by that time it was too late. Molly was the second one to lose it, swiftly followed by Castor (who looked mildly relieved that his family hadn’t blown up because of his comment). Mrs Malfoy fought in vain to keep the smile from her face and Mr Malfoy was grinning discretely into his glass. Scorpius flashed his eldest brother a grin but Andrius was still perplexed as to what was going on and had just ended up staring at Faye who had collapsed into giggles with Molly now.

Finally, Pollux turned his attention to Louis, who was not laughing but had a huge smile plastered across his face. Despite his embarrassment, Pollux could not help but smile back, knowing that whatever happened, he could take it provided he had Louis by his side.

“Don’t worry,” Louis whispered as if reading his thoughts. “I’m not going anywhere… Provided you don’t try to make me sing you a Crystal Ball’s song before we go to sleep,” he teased, making Pollux pout in faux disappointment.

**Author's Note:**

> [Here](http://theotherwoman-irishmythe.tumblr.com/) is a blog for The Other 'Verse if you're interested.


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